Encephalartos trispinosus is a species of cycad that is native to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
This cycad is characterized by an upright stem reaching up to 1 meter in height and 25âÂÂ30 cm in diameter. It often produces secondary stems from basal suckers. Its pinnate leaves form a crown at the top of the stem, ranging in color from gray-greenish to blue and reaching lengths of up to 1.4 meters. These leaves are composed of numerous pairs of obovate, leathery, and hairy leaflets, each up to 18 cm long, with 1âÂÂ3 spines along the lower margin and a sharp tip. This species is dioecious, with male specimens bearing one or rarely two erect, sub-cylindrical cones measuring 25âÂÂ35 cm in length and about 8 cm in width, ranging in color from yellow to green. Female specimens have solitary cylindrical-ovoid cones, approximately 40âÂÂ50 cm long and 16âÂÂ18 cm wide, with a conical apex, also yellow to greenish-yellow in color. The seeds are roughly ovoid, about 3.5 cm long, and covered with a brown to red sarcotesta.